The wicked sister-in-law is in charge; meals include fish and shrimp.

Chapter 43 Cleaning Up the Shop

After dinner, Wen Zizhou diligently washed the dishes, and Wen Luozhi checked them and was quite satisfied.

She then placed a chair in the yard and had Wen Zi'an help Wen Zizhong there. "Second brother, please keep an eye on Third Brother for me. He absolutely cannot be allowed to slack off. He must do what he says he will do."

Wen Zizhong smiled and nodded, then took a wooden carving from his sleeve and handed it to her, saying, "Luo Luo, this is for you."

He spent several days carving this, and he didn't know if his sister would like it. He looked at her with some trepidation.

Wen Luozhi took it and fell in love with it at first glance. The small wooden carving was carved in her likeness and looked lifelike. It was a miniature version of her.

She tilted her head back, her eyes filled with surprise, and replied, "Second Brother, I love it so much! I have to put it away carefully."

Suddenly remembering that he had mentioned having quite a few more items in the house, Wen Luozhi thought for a moment and went inside to ask Yang Guilan for those trinkets.

The basket was half full when she finished packing. Wen Luozhi carried it to the yard and examined it one by one, becoming more and more surprised with each look.

Wen Zizhong's handicrafts are in no way inferior to those small items in modern crafts, and even look more exquisite because they are purely handmade.

"Second brother, have you ever thought that these things could actually be sold for silver?"

Each of these items is well made, but the designs are a bit simple and ordinary. If there were one that was more unique, it would definitely catch people's eye.

Wen Zizhong shook his head. He only used these things to pass the time when he was in bed. How could he expect to sell them for money?

Wen Luozhi thought for a moment, then got up and ran into her room to exchange for paper and pen in the system. She quickly drew a 3D blueprint of a giant panda, then picked up the blueprint and rushed into the yard.

"Second brother, do you think this can be carved?"

That's a national treasure! Who wouldn't love its round and plump shape? If she just changes the paint and adds some color, I don't believe no one will buy it!

Wen Zizhong looked at her with some surprise, then took the drawings she handed him and examined them carefully.

The drawing likely depicts some kind of ferocious beast, resembling a bear from the mountains, only it appears lazy and round all over, with a short and stocky build that makes it look endearing even on paper.

"Lolo, is that a bear drawn on this paper?"

Wen Luozhi's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, this is the bear!"

"However, it's not some kind of bear or black bear; it's called a panda. I've seen it in Lin Huaizhi's book before," she added at the end, afraid he might doubt her.

Wen Zizhong nodded and looked at the panda on the drawing again. Its round head really did look a bit like a raccoon dog. He thought it was quite interesting.

He looked at it several times, then looked up at Wen Luozhi, whose eyes were full of expectation, and said, "My second brother can make this, but it might not be as good as the drawing here."

"Second brother, there's no need to be modest. The finished product will definitely be even better than the blueprint," Wen Luozhi said with a smile as she fiddled with the fruit seeds in her hands.

Little Tiger clung to Wen Zizhong's leg, waving his trousers beside him, "Daddy, hello!"

Wen Zizhong patted his head. Since that was the case, he had to do his best and not disappoint people.

……

Wen Zizhou got up very early, which was unusual for him, simply because his arms were still a little sore from chopping wood yesterday.

Wen Luozhi took the small basket off her back, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly, "Third Brother, you mustn't be lazy. We still owe Mother and the others money."

She'll make up the three coins for washing the dishes herself; the rest depends on her performance.

Wen Zizhou still remembered what she said last night, and he was full of fighting spirit today.

Upon arriving in town, he started calling out to customers on his own without Wen Luozhi even needing to greet him.

Because of the foundation laid by his previous stall, the area in front of the stall was soon surrounded by people.

The coins clattered into the purse, and Wen Zizhou's eyes shone brightly.

He shoved Wen Luozhi aside and said with a smile, "Little sister, you go and help Mother and the others pack up the shop so we can open as soon as possible. I can watch the stall here by myself!"

Yesterday, when he was chopping wood, that little rascal said she would observe him for a while, and once the shop opened, he would work there and be paid. If he did well, she would hand over the shop to him to manage.

Wen Luozhi taught him several packing methods, and after confirming that he would keep half a basket of small wooden carvings, she told him, "I'm thinking of selling these little trinkets for five coins each. I'll give one coin to Third Brother for each one I sell. Of course, if Third Brother is good at negotiating and can sell them for ten coins each, then he can take two coins out of his pocket and put them in his own pocket."

She brought this pile of little things with her when she left home in the morning, intending to test the waters first. Even if she could sell a few and exchange them for silver, that would be fine, so that her second brother wouldn't feel like a useless person at home.

Once she's done with this busy period, she'll take him to town to get his leg checked.

After taking the food she was going to bring for Wen Zijin, Wen Luozhi asked again, still worried, "Third Brother, are you really okay with this?"

Based on her past experience with his slacking off, she was really afraid that the moment she left, he would fall asleep in front of the stall.

"Don't worry, little sister, I'll make sure this business is run smoothly."

He could earn money just by sitting here, which was much better than going door-to-door selling goods and barely making a penny. He was determined to do his best.

Wen Luozhi carried the food directly to the shop. Xie He, Wen Zian, and Wen Zixun had already cleaned the place and arranged all the things needed for making the food.

Wen Zian felt like he was dreaming. Just a short while ago, his family was struggling to make ends meet. He never imagined that in such a short time, his family would have such a big shop. Even though it was rented, it felt different. His sister said that he could help out in the shop from now on and that she would never let him do manual labor again.

Suddenly thinking of Zhou Shen, Wen Zi'an felt a little down.

Wen Luozhi noticed that something was wrong with him, so she asked, "What's wrong, Fourth Brother?"

Wen Zi'an shook his head, pulled her aside, and whispered, "Little sister, could you lend your fourth brother one tael of silver? I want to go see Zhou Shen and his sister."

His dark face flushed slightly. He had given all his money to his mother and didn't dare ask her for more, so he could only borrow from his younger sister first.

Without a word, Wen Luozhi took out a few taels of silver from her purse and stuffed them into his hand. "Fourth Brother, what do you mean by lending or not lending? Before, Fourth Brother earned money for me to spend, and now that I can earn money myself, I'll give it to Fourth Brother to spend too."

Wen Zi'an was moved to tears, but he still put the extra silver into her money bag. "It's only natural for a brother to spend money on his sister. I'm a grown man with hands and feet, so I won't waste my sister's money."

"Then when the shop opens, Fourth Brother will work for me for free. Don't say I'm exploiting you then," Wen Luozhi said with a smile, putting a straw hat on his head and pushing him out. "Go quickly, Fourth Brother, while the sun isn't too high. Young girls like sweets, so buy some snacks for Zhou Shen's sister."

After saying that, he didn't care whether he wanted it or not and directly stuffed a small piece of silver into his hand.

Wen Zi'an walked to the door and looked back one last time. Wen Luozhi waved to him, "Go quickly and come back for dinner." He nodded heavily before reluctantly walking out.

After tidying up the shop, it was almost lunchtime. Wen Luozhi thought for a moment and decided to invite Wen Zijin and the others to come and eat together, so they could familiarize themselves with the location of their shop.

She and Wen Zixun quickly bought the groceries, and the three of them busied themselves in the kitchen, making a small table full of food along with the dishes they had prepared earlier.

Wen Zixun went to the academy to wait for Wen Zijin, while Wen Luozhi went to the market to call Wen Zizhou, who was watching the stall.

When she arrived at the stall, the food in the winnowing basket on the table was gone. Wen Zizhou was enthusiastically introducing a small wooden horse in his hand, "Auntie, don't underestimate this little thing, it's really fun to play with!"

"Don't even mention letting your little grandson play with it, it can still play with you even when you become a great-grandmother!"

"You won't lose out or be cheated if you buy it for ten copper coins!"